Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-03-17
THE BRIDGE GAVE WAY.
An Awful Railroad Accident Near
Boston.

BosTON, March IA horrible rail.
road accident occurred on the Boston
and Providence railroad this morning,
by which twenty-seven persons were
killed and seventy injured. 1t IS the
White River junction horror over again
with all its sickeniEg details. Ii was
the O'Clock train from Dedham with
its freight of workingmen, business
men and shop girls hurrying toward
this city. The train WAS made up al
Dedham, consisting Of nine passenger
coaches and a baggage car. AT Rosiln-
dale many more passengers got on
board, and the train started up towards
the city. Just the other side ot the
Forrest Hills station is the BuZZey
bridge, which runs ohIiquely wioh tie
track on either side. The track is built
high up an e.nbankment, and meadows,
covered with snow and ice, surround 1t
on either side. The engine and three
cars passed safely over the bridge, but
when the next car touched the abut-
ment there was tremor felt and in an
instant the further end gave away
and the third car breaking through
went down, dragging all the remaining
cars with it. The first car was turned
completely over, and the one imme-
diately following it broke through il
and smashed it into n million pieces.
Then came the other cars, tumbling
one after another into the street, a dis
tance of fifty feet at least. Those in
the forward car who went down never
lived to know what had happened
They were mangled and squeezed up in
horrible shapes. The other cars were
terribly mixed up with sleepers, rails,
heaters. &C. The distance from one a
butment to the other is some $50 feet or
more, and every particle of the bridge
was carried away. In a very few min
ntes after the alarm ha0 been given the
fire departm ent was on the scene, but
fortunately no fire had broken out
AS a matter of fact the stoves were
pitched about in all directions, and
how fire was ayerted it is impossible to
conjecture. The cars turned complete
ly over.
The last cars that went through
remained fastened together and with the,
rails remained in an inclined position
the latter looking like ladder, and so
Wedged together that one could walk
from the street below to the top of the
stone wall that served as an abutment
to the bridge along the sides and roofs
of the cars. When the accident took
place those who were in the suspended
cars and who had the strength to
do SO crawled through the win
doWs and amid the din Of the crash
found their way on hands and knees to
the street below Or to the tppQf the high
stone wall above. In the two cars on
the ground those who were wedged in
between seats were taken out, together
with those who were already dead,
were laid on the temporary cots. Those
who were able to speak told their name =
but many could not articulate syllable
1t has been Impossible so far to OBJ
tain a complete list Of the killed and
wounded. An efficient corps of phvsici-
ans have been at work attending TO the
injured, who are more numerous than
was at first reported, it now being esti-
mated that nearly seventy persons re-
ceived severe wounds. Of these it is
said a number will probably die. A Gu
Fi0qs feature of the disaster is that
the entire bridge went down with the
wreck. Not scrap OF iron remained
attached to the abutments, and but for
the chasm and the awful wreck be-
meath there was nothing to indicate
that a bridge had once spanned the a.
byss.